One of Three Suspects in the Kidnapping and Murder of a Korean in Thailand Arrested in Jeongeup, Jeonbuk

Tracking the Whereabouts of the Remaining Two Individuals

One of the three suspects accused of kidnapping and murdering a Korean tourist in his 30s in Pattaya, Thailand, has been apprehended in South Korea.

The Criminal Mobile Unit of the Gyeongnam Provincial Police Agency confirmed that one of the three suspects recently entered the country and tracked him down. On the afternoon of the 12th, they deployed a dedicated team from the Criminal Mobile Unit and urgently arrested a man in his 20s, identified as Mr. A, the agency announced on the 13th.

Gyeongnam Provincial Police Agency.
Photo by Lee Seryeong

According to the police, Mr. A is suspected of kidnapping Mr. B, a Korean tourist who entered Thailand on the 30th of last month, demanding ransom from Mr. B’s family, then murdering him and disposing of the body in a reservoir.

Mr. B is originally from Gimhae, Gyeongnam, and is understood to have a spouse residing locally in Thailand.

At around noon on the 7th, Mr. B’s mother received a threatening phone call from an unknown assailant stating, “Because B disposed of drugs and caused harm, send 3 million baht (approximately 112 million KRW), or your son will be killed.”

Mr. B’s mother immediately reported this to the Korean Embassy in Thailand, and the local police, upon the embassy’s request, launched an investigation.

The police obtained a statement from Mr. B’s Thai wife, who last saw Mr. B on the 2nd at a bar in the Huai Kwang area of Thailand.

In the early hours of the 3rd, two Korean men were identified as having put Mr. B into a vehicle and headed toward Pattaya. They purchased a plastic container and rope and stayed at the reservoir for about an hour before leaving.

Local police deployed divers and discovered a black plastic container filled with cement in the reservoir, inside which they confirmed the body of Mr. B.

The police identified and tracked three suspects, arresting Mr. A in Jeongeup, Jeonbuk.

The police are cooperating with local authorities to pursue the remaining two suspects.